Drone Attack Halts Flights at St. Petersburg Airport

2 days ago 8

Flights at St. Petersburg's main airport were grounded for more than two hours on Saturday morning due to a drone attack, officials said.

Arrivals and departures at Pulkovo International Airport, located over 800 kilometers from Russia's border with Ukraine, were suspended from 7:45 a.m. until 10:15 a.m. Moscow time, Rosaviatsia press secretary Artyom Korenyako said on the Telegram messaging app.

The halt in air traffic came as Russian air defenses destroyed a record four drones over the Leningrad region overnight, Governor Alexander Drozdenk said. No casualties or damage were reported.

Twenty planes heading to Pulkovo were redirected to alternate airfields during the flight suspension, Korenyako said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that the military shot down 16 drones over the Leningrad, Bryansk, Smolensk, Belgorod and Pskov regions overnight.

While Russian regions bordering Ukraine have frequently been attacked by drones since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion nearly three years ago, Russia's second-largest city has largely been spared from drone attacks.

St. Petersburg reported its first drone attack in January 2024.

In March 2024, city authorities announced strengthened security measures throughout the city after a drone crashed into an apartment building and exploded there.

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